PISEhttp://piseworld.com
Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:46:47 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1PISE Ground Breaking for Trackhttp://piseworld.com/ground-breaking-track/
http://piseworld.com/ground-breaking-track/#commentsFri, 29 May 2015 18:51:46 +0000http://piseworld.com/?p=5426(Victoria, BC – May 28, 2015) The Official Ground Breaking for the PISE Track was held today with the announcement of an additional $150,000 contribution from the Province of British Columbia. The project, which will be a fully accessible 4-lane, 400 metre track, includes spectator seating and a wheelchair accessible incline training area. Over 80% in pledges towards the track project has been secured to date.

Phase I of the track, a multi-purpose Track and Training Zone, adjacent to the building overlooking the field, is currently being utilized by athletes, students and PISE members. The recent donation from the Government of British Columbia brings PISE closer to its goal of hosting a track grand opening in Fall 2015. To date the BC Government has provided $250,000 towards the $1M+ project – the largest contribution towards the Track Project to date. Read the full press release.

]]>http://piseworld.com/ground-breaking-track/feed/0New Year, New Friendshttp://piseworld.com/new-year-new-friends/
http://piseworld.com/new-year-new-friends/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 19:05:08 +0000http://piseworld.com/?p=5187January brought a very fun opportunity our way, and one that is really all about making friends.

Beginning last week and going for the next 7 weeks, Jackie Connelly, Registered Holistic Nutritionist at PISE, and Hayley Rosenberg from Nourish Kitchen & Cafe, will be providing nutrition workshops to the Songhees First Nation Youth Program. A drop-in program that happens every Wednesday at the incredible Songhees Wellness Centre in Esquimalt, programmers are constantly working to include new learning opportunities for youth about all aspects of a healthy lifestyle, which is what drove them to invite PISE and Nourish to be involved.

We went in considering all sorts of lesson plan ideas and ways to instruct the kids, but we’re pleasantly surprised it’s really all about making friends. Learning about nutrition is just a healthy bonus.

Physical Literacy is the development of fundamental movement skills all children need, such as throwing, jumping, running, catching, kicking and wheeling. Acquiring these skills gives children the confidence and competence to participate in different physical activities, sports, and games throughout their life. In the past, kids developed physical literacy through structured P.E. classes, sports, and regular active play. Now, many kids aren’t getting the chance to develop their physical literacy. Physical literacy is essential today because the outdoor games and activities that filled our childhood and helped us develop movement skills have been replaced by more screen time and inactivity. This is why we need to prioritize physical literacy for children.

Facts about Physical Literacy:

More than half of Canadians are considered inactive and 30% of children are considered to be obese or overweight.

Children and youth should be getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. In Canada, only 9% of boys and 4% of girls are meeting these guidelines.

Through PISE, 3,500 kids last year participated in Physical Literacy programs.

]]>http://piseworld.com/physical-literacy-important/feed/0Attention to All Young Athletes: Sports Cardiology B.C. is in Victoria!http://piseworld.com/attention-to-all-young-athletes-sports-cardiology-b-c-is-in-victoria/
http://piseworld.com/attention-to-all-young-athletes-sports-cardiology-b-c-is-in-victoria/#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 23:14:06 +0000http://piseworld.com/?p=4555Sports Cardiology B.C. has been investigating the prevalence of cardiovascular disease that can lead to sudden cardiac death in the B.C. population. We will be bringing our research team to Victoria to conduct testing at the Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence on November 29th and 30th from 9am­‐5pm. Find out the criteria for participating.
]]>http://piseworld.com/attention-to-all-young-athletes-sports-cardiology-b-c-is-in-victoria/feed/0Report shows moving a little more will have economic & physical benefits!http://piseworld.com/report-shows-moving-a-little-more-will-have-economic-physical-benefits/
http://piseworld.com/report-shows-moving-a-little-more-will-have-economic-physical-benefits/#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 17:00:52 +0000http://piseworld.com/?p=4553On Oct. 24, 2014, the Conference Board of Canada produced a report (The Economic Impact of Reducing Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior) on some of the economic as well as physical benefits of physical activity on Canadians of all ages. The report finds that moving a little more goes a long way!

“… getting just 10% of Canadian adults to sit less and move more would reduce Canada’s health care costs by 2.6 billion and inject $7.5 billion into the Canadian economy by year 2040.”

“The report (see attached) estimates that the benefits would start to show as early as 2020, if…starting in 2015 — 10 per cent of Canadians sit less, walk more each week, and increase their daily physical activity.” Read more…

Dr. Dean Kriellaars visited Victoria in September to deliver two Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) Mini Summits, one for the community and one for organizations delivering Physical Literacy programming.

The first, Physical Literacy 101, was open to the community at large and focused on taking Physical Literacy from Research to Practice. Now more than ever, physical literacy is being recognized as an important component of best practices in the sport, recreation, health and education sectors within Canada. The goal of the PL 101 Mini-Summit is to cover a broad introduction to the concept of physical literacy. During this half-day Mini- Summit, individuals took part in an interactive session that helped to define what exactly physical literacy means, and how you can integrate its concepts to improve programs. Dr. Dean touched on the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) Tools and showed how these can be used to track development of physical literacy skills to help participants improve where needed. People attending the Mini-Summits left feeling that they had a solid understanding of what physical literacy is and knowledge of how to encourage continual improvement and development of physical literacy skills across the lifespan.The understanding being that this is critical to overall health and well-being. PL isn’t just for kids! It is a lifelong development.

“I have used some aspects of these PL strategies in the past but Dr. Dean really brought everything together for me. I think “Functional fitness” has been a catch-all buzzword in the industry for the last few years, but most people don’t know what it means. I see PL as a means of addressing this disconnect between what various fitness professionals/organizations claim as “functional” and what they are providing to their clients. The Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth allows us to say we are enhancing our members’ physical literacy AND we can prove it. As far as I’m concerned, Physical Literacy is the future of the fitness industry. I think the word that sums up Saturday’s mini summit for me is POWERFUL.” ~ Mini-Summit participant

PISE is looking forward to bringing Dr. Dean back to Victoria again. Stay tuned! Read more about Dr. Dean.

When I tell people I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), most people ask, “What is that, and what do you do, exactly?” Great questions!

First, what is a holistic nutritionist? A holistic nutritionist believes that the body can heal itself and that proper nutrition is the key to vibrant, long term health. We look at the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) rather than focusing on a “one size fits all” food guide or pyramid, for example. We work toward addressing the root cause of the illness or imbalance rather than diagnosing the illness (we leave that to your doctor), however we often work in collaboration with other health professionals, such as a Naturopathic Doctor.

Next, I thought giving you my Top 10 list of ways a RHN can help you is the best way to answer the second part of the question. Here we go!

You are keen to learn more about disease prevention through food. RHN’s believe that the key to disease and illness prevention is through a diet of natural, whole, and organic (when possible) foods, while avoiding anything refined or artificial.
You don’t seem to have enough energy to get you through the day, and you find yourself feeling tired most, or all ,of the time. Tiredness and lethargy can impact every aspect of your daily activities – work, school, exercise, family time, the list goes on. It in itself can be exhausting!

You often have that “full” feeling in your stomach after eating. This can be from eating too much, eating the wrong combination of foods, a digestive system imbalance, and/or a sensitivity or allergy to a food. A thorough look at your current diet and lifestyle with the help of a RHN can often pinpoint areas for improvement.
Bloating, gas, and those other topics no one really wants to talk about. With some people, these symptoms can be a sign of a digestive system that’s out of balance, something a RHN can assess and outline areas for healing.
You want to eat more vegetarian (or go fully vegetarian/vegan) but aren’t sure where to start, and maybe you’re worried about nutrients and energy levels too.
Weight loss. Often in collaboration with a Strength & Conditioning Coach who can provide a suitable exercise regimen for your specific needs, weight loss can be a realistic goal given the right tools. Tools such as meal planning, the right recipe sources for your tastes, understanding that “quick fixes” and fad diets will not last long term, and one-on-one accountability are in a RHN’s toolbox.
Meal planning. Whether you are part of a full household or you regularly cook for one, meal planning can unfortunately be a necessary evil for some people. Let a RHN help you learn why eating a variety of foods is important for you body, identify sources for new recipes, and create a plan for your meals that is all about you! Soon love thinking about what your next delicious, nutritious meals will be.

Unique or challenging food situations. Do you work shiftwork? Do you travel often? If your daily schedule stops you from eating healthy foods on a regular basis, I can help.
A RHN can help you if you have a specific health imbalance or illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, poor digestion, and allergies, for example.
You need accountability as you set out on a new path to reach your health and wellness goals. I offer a package that was created exactly with this in mind!

If any of these resonate with you, I see clients out of PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence) in Victoria, BC and I would love to hear from you. Please email me at jconnelly (at) piseworld.com to set-up a complimentary 15 minute meet and greet, in-person, phone or via Skype.

Victoria photographer Mike Byrne had his choice of the Sochi Winter Olympics or Glasgow Commonwealth Games this year. He picked Glasgow. In this men’s gold-medal hockey final, Canada didn’t beat Sweden on ice; it was Australia that defeated India on turf. Byrne, the photo manager for the field hockey venue at the recently completed Glasgow Games, says he made the right decision.

“Glasgow was excellent … top-notch,” he said.

Byrne was also deputy photo manager for five venues during the 2012 London Summer Olympics and worked in press operations for cross-country skiing, biathlon and ski-jumping at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and is among a number of Islanders who work Games around the globe.

To understand the vast reserves of human resources that must be marshalled to host an event such as the Commonwealth Games, consider that it would require two Save-on-Foods Memorial Centres to seat all the volunteers who were mobilized for the 1994 Victoria Games. Even then, a few of the nearly 15,000 would be left on the outside.

If there was another single event, outside of war, in this city’s history that mustered so many people to work for a common cause, I can’t think of it. The base of volunteer support the Games left in their wake is one of the greatest legacies of the event.

It’s easy to be cynical about the excess that borders on the obscene and that seems to permeate the hosting and financing of an Olympics, World Cup or Commonwealth/Pan American Games. You can only shake your head in disgusted wonderment when considering how Russia could find $51 billion to sink into a small resort community named Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics. What were they thinking? They could have had 51 sewage-treatment systems instead.

The 2014 World Cup soccer final is today in Rio. What’s that got to do with the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, to take place Aug. 23 at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence? Maybe a lot, because organizers say they want the reunion to be as much forward focused as backward looking.

Perhaps it’s time to look for the Next Big Thing.

“We did a great accomplishment [in 1994]. Let’s do more. Let’s look forward and look for new opportunities,” said Jim Reed, the former No. 2 in the Victoria Commonwealth Games organizing committee, during a recent press conference at PISE.